I have studied jazz piano for years. This brief tutorial is the BEST for learning rootless chord voicing a...PERIOD, BAR NONE!!! Very clear, simple and well explained.
hi, sir, i just wanna let you know that you have done more for my piano playing in the last 24 hrs than i or any of my teachers did for me in the last 10 years. even though i have LOTS to practice, i now know where to begin…. my confidence has shot through the roof. i’m so happy i finally have the hope that i’ll one day be able to play jazz. thank you 🙏🏻
It is clear that communications is an art. Any topic you desire to be fully understood, you prepare your soeech and data carefully. Well this is the case.Thanks a lot for sharing this valuable information.Actually, many piano masters know this information but either, they dont have the skills to communicate it or they are no willing to share it for free
My pleasure... glad you found it useful! If I can help you with anything else just let me know. ps. you can get 5 free lessons here if you're interested: bit.ly/get-5-free-lessons Cheers, PianoGroove
I have to take one exception to what you have said. I'm my case the way I learned these voicings was to do drills but in the context of the 2-5-1 progression since that is how they will be used most of the time. All 12 keys, both A and B. Then the tritone sub.
This is so clearly taught and a well paced instruction! I have been trying to learn piano voicings lately to improve texture in my soloing, and this is great! One quick question, what is the chord you are playing at 0:17, and why this voicing? The one with the G and Db, with a Fmaj on top. It was a beautiful sound.
It's the chord from the 2nd bar, an A7 Dominant with a Sharp nine, but he is playing the sharp nine on the right hand instead of in the left hand as it's in the melody on the sheet music. Also it seems the 13th is flattened. 1st note G is the dominant 7th of A7, therefor it is a type B inversion, then he is skipping the raised 9th, 2nd note playing the Major 3rd of A7, 3rd note is the 13th of A7, but it is flattened, maybe because the chord is a raised 9th so the flattened 13th works better? Or maybe it is because the next chord is a D minor 7. " a dominant chord anticipating a minor resolution will feature a flat 13th"... Then he is playing the root A and the raised 9th C.
Thank you very much.. Another question.. In order to play without the root but using the inner voices and embelishmente, do you suggest any of your videos?? Thanks again!
Probably the best instructional video on rootless voicings I have come across. Thank you so much. do you have a video on rootles voicings for both hands especially for comping? Also why is it always 3rd or 7th at the bottom ? is it a question of sound or tradition? I needed to explain that to my students especially when they are leaning the concept of inversions.... thanks eb
+Eddy Bourjolly Hey Eddy, great I'm glad you find it helpful, more free lessons here: bit.ly/get-5-free-lessons You can also download a PDF containing these rootless voicings in all 12 keys: bit.ly/rootless-voicings-pdf To answer your question... The 3rd or 7th doesn't always have to be on the bottom, you can play rootless voicings in any inversion with either the 3rd, 5th, 7th or 9th on the bottom. That being said, the 'Type A' with the 3rd on the bottom and the 'Type B' with the 7th on the bottom are the 2 most important and useful inversions to know. This is because in a rootless 251 progression, if the 3rd or 7th is on the bottom, it is very easy to voice lead the chords and achieve a smooth sound with minimal hand movement. Watch this lesson for more info on this: www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/rootless-251-progression/ Also, when you have learnt 'Type A' and 'Type B' rootless voicings in all 12 keys, you can play a rootless voicing for any chord right in the centre of the piano where it will sound the best. Hope this helps. PianoGroove.
Very helpful lesson. I've always been interested in jazz piano but could not find a good entry point. Can you make a lesson on inprovising over rootless voicings?
Great video! Very useful. One little tidbit: some of the note names above the piano are incorrect - strictly speaking. For example, the Gb in 5:20 should be the enharmonic equivalent of F#, given that D is the root of the chord. Similarly, the Db in the same chord should be C#, as it's the major 7th, not a diminished 8th. They sound the same, of course, but using the right ones really helps with understanding the structure of the chord. Otherwise superb stuff!
+zeepier33 Hi zeepier, thanks for the comment! And yes I completely agree, unfortunately that is one of the limitations of the midi software which generates the keyboard, you have to choose either all flats or all sharps for black keys so there will always be some enharmonic equivalents creeping in here and there. All the best, PianoGroove :-)
Great video. Really wish the top piano was notating the same as your score at the bottom (#’s & b’s). Surely I understand enharmonic notes, but it’s just an extra unnecessary step. Thanks for all the great theory!
Hi, could you explain why you jump straight to a 13th voicing when you do the dominant chords near the end? Why not do just a 9th voicing? (The half-diminished chord a M3 up?)
Great lesson. where can I se another of your videos on Open rootless voicing with both hands.. and when you play with a guitar player.. the registers are in the middle too.. What would you recommend? Thank you so much.
Very helpful info but I was wondering if you can do (or already have) any videos on learning the right hand improv? Whenever I hear the middle improv section of a standard jazz piece, it always blows me away how good it sounds with the various runs etc and I would love to be able to learn how to do that. By the way is that a Liverpool accent I hear? Cheers Rob
+Robert Bernard - Hi Rob thanks for the comment. There are a number of Pro Member lessons on the website about improv, you can find these by filtering 'Improvisation' using the green button: bit.ly/jazz-piano-lessons - One lesson in particular actually applies improv to the tune in the video above - Blue in Green - find that here: www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/improvising-blue-in-green/ Hope this helps :-) PianoGroove. p.s. I'm from Manchester, UK, which is close to Liverpool but a very different accent!
Hello, sir. Would you make a tutorial how to play Al Jarreau - Spain on the piano? I would be very pleased to see and to learn from the way how you play it. Thanks a lot sir, your videos are really helpful.
Great video! When I was in school we learning to spell these either 3-7-9 or 7-3-5, adding or altering notes as needed. I'm not sure why you would include the 5th in a rootless voicing if you're not altering it. Any thoughts?
I understand rootless voicings, but I can never tell if a progression I am trying to play...is using rootless voicings...if that makes sense? Like how are you supposed to know? Do you have to look at the other instruments like the bass? What if the root note of the bass is playing the lowest note of the ROOTLESS voicing....is that a thing?
At 12:26 the second written chord should be Eb-G-A-D, not Eb-A-Bb-D. I’m assuming all you’re doing is taking the top two notes of the first chord down an octave to make the second chord. (The hand in the video is playing it correctly.)
how come in all the circle of fourths examples other than C, you do have the root in the chord? starting with Ab then you move around and play all the chords with the root in the second note
+Blackout Media Hi There, I don't actually play the roots in the voicings, i play either: 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th or 7th, 9th, 3rd, 5th. I do suggest that when starting to play these voicings in your left hand, you can reach over and play the root with your right hand to make sure you are playing the right notes. Hope this helps. PianoGroove
How problematic is the inclusion of the 13th in the dominant voicing if there is a possibility of an alt chord? I.e. Would you use these dominant voicing a in a minor ii V7 i?
+frdagaa Hi There, if a dominant chord is altered, this means that the 9th and/or 5th has been raised or flattted by half a step to add extra interest and dissonance (the #5 is the same as the b13). The dominant chord in a minor 251 is always altered. Would never play the 13 and b13 together but you can play C13b9 for example. This lesson goes through many combinations of alterations and extensions: www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/altered-jazz-chords-major-251/ Hope this helps, PianoGroove.
Very good video first of all. Question: In 2 weeks I have my 1st big band rehearsal and for that I am looking for a good voicing. I thought the rootless voicing would be ideal to not be in the way of the bass player. I understand that this voicing is the perfect left hand voicing, but now: I am just accompanying the big band.... So when I play these chords in the right hand, what do I play in the left hand. Or would you say I should look for another voicing?
Why not instead refer to rootless Fmaj7(add 9) as Am7 and call it a day? (Note: This is why I was not a candidate for music school). Modern blues works better when the theory is recast in minor terms, but then again I don't want to bury "Money (That's What I Want)" under an avalanche of theory, ya feel me?
Hi There, You don't have to add the 9th, but the 9th is usually a good choice. Rootless voicings free up a finger for more interesting and colourful note choices such as a 9th, 11th or 13th which makes your playing sound more professional. Other benefits are: Rootless voicings achieve very smooth voice leading in a 251 progression so the chords will flow from one to the next very smoothly. This is not the case with root based voicings. Rootless voicings also reduce hand movement to a minimum so that you can move from one chord to the next very easily and focus you attention on soloing in your right hand. Hope this helps :-) PianoGroove
Honestly, I just don't see the point to this lesson at all. If you are need to drop the root note in order to play jazz, then you are already an advanced gigging pianist and you'll be doing this already without having to be taught it. You've completely missed the entire point in how to learn jazz harmony. Teaching advanced techniques to beginners is a really stupid thing to do. Arghhhh... ridiculous.
Thanks Anthony - really glad you enjoyed the lesson. You 100% need to be able to understand and play rootless voicings if you are playing with a bass player but they are also extremely useful when playing solo piano too. For example, you can hit the bass note in a low register of the piano and then come up to play rootless voicings or rootless 251s in the centre of the piano where they sound best. It allows you to create a lot of different textures than simple root based voicings. Hope this helps and all the best with your jazz piano studies. PianoGroove
Thanks for the comment Nobby. I completely agree that these voicings are a fundamental part of jazz theory. I try not to feed the trolls when they comment on my videos :-) All the best, PianoGroove
I have studied jazz piano for years. This brief tutorial is the BEST for learning rootless chord voicing a...PERIOD, BAR NONE!!! Very clear, simple and well explained.
Thanks Richard... glad you found it useful. Cheers, PianoGroove
I agree. This is the clearest explanation I've ever heard.
hi, sir, i just wanna let you know that you have done more for my piano playing in the last 24 hrs than i or any of my teachers did for me in the last 10 years. even though i have LOTS to practice, i now know where to begin…. my confidence has shot through the roof. i’m so happy i finally have the hope that i’ll one day be able to play jazz. thank you 🙏🏻
At last - someone who explains the concept of rootless voicings in a clear and understandable way - thanks.
I'm just repeating what others said, your explanation is amazingly clear and understandable. Lightbulb moment video. Thank you.
i just want to say thanks man your lessons are eye opening!!!!!!!
I've learned a lot from the lesson! I used to get confused by some chords till I learned this lesson! You are such a good teacher! THANK YOU!
Thanks Koumi.... glad you are enjoying the tuition :-) PianoGroove
The circle of fourths exercise at the end sounds like the beginning from Waltz for Debby
AWESOME LESSON SIR 🎉 THANK YOU SO MUCH 😊
It is clear that communications is an art. Any topic you desire to be fully understood, you prepare your soeech and data carefully. Well this is the case.Thanks a lot for sharing this valuable information.Actually, many piano masters know this information but either, they dont have the skills to communicate it or they are no willing to share it for free
Excellent!! These wukk taje effirt ti naster!
It's very important Rootless Voicings
Thanks a lot Sir.
I love your videos, they're just done in a way that I get it
Best explanation, demonstration and exercises to drill these! Thank you!! Spot on :)
Amazing tutorial!
love all your videos, really helpful, you have a gift for teaching without over complicating. Respect!
Thanks very much for this lesson. Much appreciated.
Yet another awesome tutorial! Thank you!
Very good lesson, thank you!
Excellent tutorial, so well explained. Thank you very much.
Congratulations my friend! Thank you from the heart! So finally someone could explain it easily and take my doubts about the chord extensions !!!!!
My pleasure... glad you found it useful! If I can help you with anything else just let me know. ps. you can get 5 free lessons here if you're interested: bit.ly/get-5-free-lessons Cheers, PianoGroove
Simply brilliant
I have to take one exception to what you have said. I'm my case the way I learned these voicings was to do drills but in the context of the 2-5-1 progression since that is how they will be used most of the time. All 12 keys, both A and B. Then the tritone sub.
This is so clearly taught and a well paced instruction! I have been trying to learn piano voicings lately to improve texture in my soloing, and this is great! One quick question, what is the chord you are playing at 0:17, and why this voicing? The one with the G and Db, with a Fmaj on top. It was a beautiful sound.
It's the chord from the 2nd bar, an A7 Dominant with a Sharp nine, but he is playing the sharp nine on the right hand instead of in the left hand as it's in the melody on the sheet music. Also it seems the 13th is flattened. 1st note G is the dominant 7th of A7, therefor it is a type B inversion, then he is skipping the raised 9th, 2nd note playing the Major 3rd of A7, 3rd note is the 13th of A7, but it is flattened, maybe because the chord is a raised 9th so the flattened 13th works better? Or maybe it is because the next chord is a D minor 7. " a dominant chord anticipating a minor resolution will feature a flat 13th"... Then he is playing the root A and the raised 9th C.
Awesome tutorial keep up the good work
Very well explained
Beautiful, interesting and other plays
U make it looks easy sir, but gonna take me a week or two for it. Thanks sir
YOU ROCK!! thanks for the fab lessons xx
Oh man! Excellent video! Very well teacher. Keep on this
Nice Blue and Green!
Ɀ Certainly true
Absolutely fantastic
Fire tutorial!
Thank you very much.. Another question.. In order to play without the root but using the inner voices and embelishmente, do you suggest any of your videos?? Thanks again!
Thank you!
excellent teaching !
So Good! Thanks so much!
This is so great!!! Thank you SO much!!!!!
That's priceless information
Thanks brother
Sooooo helpful thank you so much
4:33 what solo scale was that over the CMaj7. Sounded nice against it.tnx
Might be late, but that's just the Em scale or the C lydian scale
Awesome lesson......thanks
so helpful
Probably the best instructional video on rootless voicings I have come across. Thank you so much. do you have a video on rootles voicings for both hands especially for comping? Also why is it always 3rd or 7th at the bottom ? is it a question of sound or tradition? I needed to explain that to my students especially when they are leaning the concept of inversions.... thanks
eb
+Eddy Bourjolly Hey Eddy, great I'm glad you find it helpful, more free lessons here: bit.ly/get-5-free-lessons
You can also download a PDF containing these rootless voicings in all 12 keys: bit.ly/rootless-voicings-pdf
To answer your question...
The 3rd or 7th doesn't always have to be on the bottom, you can play rootless voicings in any inversion with either the 3rd, 5th, 7th or 9th on the bottom.
That being said, the 'Type A' with the 3rd on the bottom and the 'Type B' with the 7th on the bottom are the 2 most important and useful inversions to know.
This is because in a rootless 251 progression, if the 3rd or 7th is on the bottom, it is very easy to voice lead the chords and achieve a smooth sound with minimal hand movement.
Watch this lesson for more info on this: www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/rootless-251-progression/
Also, when you have learnt 'Type A' and 'Type B' rootless voicings in all 12 keys, you can play a rootless voicing for any chord right in the centre of the piano where it will sound the best.
Hope this helps.
PianoGroove.
Muito bom seus vídeos brother ....
Tem me ajudado bastante .
Thanks Eduardo :-)
A question you may have answered already. On a AAb7b9b13 cord on the lefywhat more sophisticated scales can we play on the right hand side? Thank you
you can play the altered scale and probably the melodic minor scale but a half step up, so A melodic minor
Excellent tuturial already understanding jazz chords thank man, or not jazz chords, major and minor 7 chords
Very helpful lesson. I've always been interested in jazz piano but could not find a good entry point. Can you make a lesson on inprovising over rootless voicings?
言程 Thanks! Yes sure I'm creating a series of lessons around improvisation so stay tuned! Cheers, PianoGroove.
Great video! Very useful. One little tidbit: some of the note names above the piano are incorrect - strictly speaking. For example, the Gb in 5:20 should be the enharmonic equivalent of F#, given that D is the root of the chord. Similarly, the Db in the same chord should be C#, as it's the major 7th, not a diminished 8th. They sound the same, of course, but using the right ones really helps with understanding the structure of the chord.
Otherwise superb stuff!
+zeepier33 Hi zeepier, thanks for the comment! And yes I completely agree, unfortunately that is one of the limitations of the midi software which generates the keyboard, you have to choose either all flats or all sharps for black keys so there will always be some enharmonic equivalents creeping in here and there. All the best, PianoGroove :-)
I see! We can't have it all, I guess. Looking forward to the launch of your website!
OMG thank you!!!
Great video. Really wish the top piano was notating the same as your score at the bottom (#’s & b’s). Surely I understand enharmonic notes, but it’s just an extra unnecessary step. Thanks for all the great theory!
What about for m7b5 and sus4 chords?
Excellent
thank you
Hi, could you explain why you jump straight to a 13th voicing when you do the dominant chords near the end?
Why not do just a 9th voicing? (The half-diminished chord a M3 up?)
Great lesson. where can I se another of your videos on Open rootless voicing with both hands.. and when you play with a guitar player.. the registers are in the middle too.. What would you recommend? Thank you so much.
amazing...thanks!
Gr8 Lesson as usual And gr8 arrangment on all the things you are. Im lookin forward to new tunes / styles etc..on pianogroove.com. Peace Meistro!!
What about the soloing??
0:28 FACE!
If these are dominant chords, shouldn't the key signature be indicated a perfect 5th down from the 5 chord? D13(in key of G which has 1sharp)
Very helpful info but I was wondering if you can do (or already have) any videos on learning the right hand improv? Whenever I hear the middle improv section of a standard jazz piece, it always blows me away how good it sounds with the various runs etc and I would love to be able to learn how to do that. By the way is that a Liverpool accent I hear? Cheers Rob
+Robert Bernard - Hi Rob thanks for the comment. There are a number of Pro Member lessons on the website about improv, you can find these by filtering 'Improvisation' using the green button: bit.ly/jazz-piano-lessons - One lesson in particular actually applies improv to the tune in the video above - Blue in Green - find that here: www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/improvising-blue-in-green/ Hope this helps :-) PianoGroove. p.s. I'm from Manchester, UK, which is close to Liverpool but a very different accent!
Amazing.
Hello, sir. Would you make a tutorial how to play Al Jarreau - Spain on the piano? I would be very pleased to see and to learn from the way how you play it. Thanks a lot sir, your videos are really helpful.
Great video! When I was in school we learning to spell these either 3-7-9 or 7-3-5, adding or altering notes as needed. I'm not sure why you would include the 5th in a rootless voicing if you're not altering it. Any thoughts?
love your site where can i get the worksheets i went to the page but nothing
+msj103105 Coming soon mate - stay tuned!
I understand rootless voicings, but I can never tell if a progression I am trying to play...is using rootless voicings...if that makes sense?
Like how are you supposed to know?
Do you have to look at the other instruments like the bass?
What if the root note of the bass is playing the lowest note of the ROOTLESS voicing....is that a thing?
I would like to buy all your lesson on Dvds. the blues and jazz specifically. is it possible?
At 12:26 the second written chord should be Eb-G-A-D, not Eb-A-Bb-D. I’m assuming all you’re doing is taking the top two notes of the first chord down an octave to make the second chord. (The hand in the video is playing it correctly.)
how come in all the circle of fourths examples other than C, you do have the root in the chord? starting with Ab then you move around and play all the chords with the root in the second note
+Blackout Media Hi There, I don't actually play the roots in the voicings, i play either: 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th or 7th, 9th, 3rd, 5th. I do suggest that when starting to play these voicings in your left hand, you can reach over and play the root with your right hand to make sure you are playing the right notes. Hope this helps. PianoGroove
How problematic is the inclusion of the 13th in the dominant voicing if there is a possibility of an alt chord? I.e. Would you use these dominant voicing a in a minor ii V7 i?
+frdagaa Hi There, if a dominant chord is altered, this means that the 9th and/or 5th has been raised or flattted by half a step to add extra interest and dissonance (the #5 is the same as the b13). The dominant chord in a minor 251 is always altered. Would never play the 13 and b13 together but you can play C13b9 for example. This lesson goes through many combinations of alterations and extensions: www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/altered-jazz-chords-major-251/ Hope this helps, PianoGroove.
Very good video first of all. Question: In 2 weeks I have my 1st big band rehearsal and for that I am looking for a good voicing. I thought the rootless voicing would be ideal to not be in the way of the bass player. I understand that this voicing is the perfect left hand voicing, but now: I am just accompanying the big band.... So when I play these chords in the right hand, what do I play in the left hand. Or would you say I should look for another voicing?
i’m going through the same thing, did you find anything out?
Blue in Green
i almost thought he said 'taipei' so my mind was like 'taipei and taiwan' rootless voicings
I thought I was the only one who thought that! :) Good video!
A piano teacher, a doctor and a rabbit walk into a blood bank. I think the rabbit was a...type O...
I was thinking new Asian chords as well! Omg!!
Muito legal
Ive noticed he hardly uses his ring finger which is the most unruly finger for me...
This guy is the shiznit
Why not instead refer to rootless Fmaj7(add 9) as Am7 and call it a day? (Note: This is why I was not a candidate for music school). Modern blues works better when the theory is recast in minor terms, but then again I don't want to bury "Money (That's What I Want)" under an avalanche of theory, ya feel me?
why is it important to add the 9th when one is building a rootless chord
Hi There,
You don't have to add the 9th, but the 9th is usually a good choice. Rootless voicings free up a finger for more interesting and colourful note choices such as a 9th, 11th or 13th which makes your playing sound more professional.
Other benefits are:
Rootless voicings achieve very smooth voice leading in a 251 progression so the chords will flow from one to the next very smoothly. This is not the case with root based voicings.
Rootless voicings also reduce hand movement to a minimum so that you can move from one chord to the next very easily and focus you attention on soloing in your right hand.
Hope this helps :-)
PianoGroove
PianoGroove thanks a lot
your hands are sooo cutee awww can you even play an octave?
Saxfg
Honestly, I just don't see the point to this lesson at all. If you are need to drop the root note in order to play jazz, then you are already an advanced gigging pianist and you'll be doing this already without having to be taught it. You've completely missed the entire point in how to learn jazz harmony. Teaching advanced techniques to beginners is a really stupid thing to do. Arghhhh... ridiculous.
As an advanced piano player (16 years and counting) and a beginner jazz pianist, I find this lesson extremely helpful.
Thanks Anthony - really glad you enjoyed the lesson. You 100% need to be able to understand and play rootless voicings if you are playing with a bass player but they are also extremely useful when playing solo piano too. For example, you can hit the bass note in a low register of the piano and then come up to play rootless voicings or rootless 251s in the centre of the piano where they sound best. It allows you to create a lot of different textures than simple root based voicings. Hope this helps and all the best with your jazz piano studies. PianoGroove
Thanks for the comment Nobby. I completely agree that these voicings are a fundamental part of jazz theory. I try not to feed the trolls when they comment on my videos :-) All the best, PianoGroove
Why do you only use your left hand for playing these voicings.
Because your right hand will be doing the soloing. I guess you could switch if you're left-handed.
Blue in Green